Our specific gospel reference

In our way of living and operating we keep as “norm and guide” Jesus the Redeemer who, in unbroken communion with the salvific will of the Father, walked through Palestine teaching, doing good and healing, and gathered around him a community of disciples that they might collaborate towards his work of salvation.

And so, in the time daily allotted to personal and community prayer, we stay with him in order to know what “his heart thinks, loves and does” and acquire his “most ardent charity” to the point of laying down our life.

Our passionate interest in what Jesus accomplished and suffered for our sake and our experience of his love in our own life impel us to go to our brethren with “the traits of his heart”, in particular: with charity, gentleness and humility.

In the Eucharistic Sacrifice we celebrate together our act of thanksgiving and, in holding the memory of the Lord’s paschal charity, we draw light and strength for each day to consume our energy in service as he did and said.

Going with us through our apostolic days is Mary, co-worker in our redemption; providential circumstances led our Institute to venerate her as dawn of salvation, in the mystery of her birth.

By the grace given us, we therefore follow a spirituality that commits us to be conformed to Jesus the Redeemer in what he did and in laying down his life so that all human beings may have true life; we seek to learn from him how to love and serve our neighbour and be signs and witnesses of his merciful love wherever he gathers us together.

Our identity

Our identity and origin
are given straightaway in our official name:
we are “Sisters of Charity
of Saints Bartolomea Capitanio and Vincenza Gerosa”.

We are, however, generally called
“Suore di Maria Bambina” (Sisters of Holy Child Mary”), because in the santuario attached to the Generalate,
in Via S. Sofia, 13, Milan,
we keep an ancient wax image,
coming from the Convent
of Franciscan Sisters of Todi (Perugia)
and donated, after various peregrinations,
to our Institute in 1842.

The Milanese,
who soon joined us in venerating the Mother of God
in the mystery of her birth,
began to call us “Sisters of Maria Bambina”.